Nine of 10 leaders in health care and health care policy believe it is important for federal and state policymakers to continue to implement the Affordable Care Act, according to a Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey. Three-quarters of survey respondents think the growth in national health spending per capita can be lowered without harming access to or quality of care. Large majorities support implementation of specific coverage expansion provisions of the health reform law, including insurance market changes, Medicaid expansion, and premium tax credits. Leaders also believe it is important to implement payment and delivery system initiatives such as the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and Independent Payment Advisory Board. Large majorities support key elements of President Obama’s recent framework to reduce the federal budget deficit by building on the law and achieving further savings in Medicare and Medicaid.

The survey is the 27th and final installment in the Health Care Opinion Leaders series, which The Commonwealth Fund launched in 2005. As implementation of the Affordable Care Act gains momentum, the Fund’s attention will shift toward reporting on important trends and milestones in the reform of the U.S. health care system. The Commonwealth Fund thanks its partners Modern Healthcare and Harris Interactive, the hundreds of health care leaders who participated in the surveys, and those who contributed their insights to the accompanying commentaries.

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The mission of The Commonwealth Fund is to promote a high-performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society's most vulnerable, including low-income people, the uninsured, minority Americans, young children, and elderly adults.